1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a grain bin lid opener; more specifically, the invention relates to a lid opener that utilizes a single cable to open and close the lid from ground level.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many instances when a grain bin lid must be opened, for instance, to fill the bin or to aerate the grain. The normal procedure requires the farmer or grain handler to physically climb to the top of the tall grain bin structure and manually open the lid. As would be expected, persons climbing these tall structures often experience injures due to falling off the structure. These injures hinder productivity and increase costs. There is, therefore, a need for a grain bin lid opener that eliminates injury to the workers, promotes a safe working environment, is accessible by handicap individuals, uses a single cable to open and close the lid, uses a reliable locking device to secure the lid, and eliminates the need to climb to the top of the grain bin. The present invention provides such an apparatus.
Grain bin lid openers have been described in the patent literature, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,208,839 issued to Candy, Sr. on Jun. 24, 1980, 4,267,936 issued to Pavlicek on May 19, 1981, 4,625,888 issued to Thompson on Dec. 2, 1986, 4,747,244 issued to Christianson on May 31, 1988, 5,218,784 issued to Pollock on Jun. 15, 1993, 4,327,522 issued to Meadows on May 4, 1982, 4,598,496 issued to Van Daele on Jul. 8, 1986 and Canadian Pat. No. 1,083,771 issued to Hrycyk on Aug. 19, 1980 all describe remotely operated closure devices but lack any disclosure of a U-shaped bracket to hold a closure handle in a locked position, a single cable running from one side of the grain bin to the other wherein the cable has a loop on one end dimensioned and configured to slide over the end of the closure handle.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,064,931 issued to Rowe on Nov. 20, 1962 and 5,249,392 issued to Houston et al. on Oct. 5, 1993 both fail to disclose either an apparatus for actuating the lid of a grain bin or a cable in conjunction with a closure handle and bracket.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.